Security a major plank of our administration, says Ugwuanyi

As he declares open four-day workshop for police spokespersons
Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, yesterday, said one of the reasons the state is among the safest and most secured in the country, was because of his administration’s continued support for the development of security infrastructure in the state.

Ugwuanyi, who disclosed that security provisioning has been a major plank of his administration, added that the state government established and funded the Enugu State Forest Guard Security Outfit, the Neighborhood Watch groups and went further to legislate the State Security Trust Fund to provide adequate resources for maintenance of security of lives and property.

Declaring open the four-day Intensive Capacity Building Workshop for all Police Spokespersons in Nigeria held in Enugu, with the theme: “Crisis Management and Law Enforcement: the Role of Police Spokespersons,” he stated that the event was timely and momentous.

He commended the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, for the initiative and other reforms aimed at addressing the agitations of the Nigerian people for a people-friendly, more professional, accountable police force and one that respects the rights and freedom of citizens.

Ugwuanyi stressed that the workshop could not have come at a better time, given the recent #EndSARS protests with its attendant mayhem and other spikes in criminality.

He pointed out that the lesson and experience of the protests with the manifest mistrust and communication gap between the police and the policed, compelled a new paradigm for citizens’ engagement and robust communication strategies to build mutual trust and confidence, as well as facilitate the healing of all wounds.

“In enthroning this veritable panacea, the role of the Police Spokespersons in leading the discourse and inspiring new ideas will be key”, the governor said, revealing that the hosting of the workshop was in keeping with his administration’s tradition of supporting worthy causes, especially those bordering on security of lives and property of Enugu people, as enshrined the nation’s constitution.

He, therefore, urged the participants to optimise the opportunity to network, peer view and cross-fertilise ideas with experts to sharpen and broaden their public relations knowledge and skills for enhanced service delivery to the police force and the nation in general.